162 And Missing
by Roselie Parry
Summary: kidnapped by his brother, Stefan realizes that Damon may not be Damon anymore, but something else. In town Elena, Zach & a confused anxious Damon try & find him, will it be to late or will they find Stefan in time? WARNING: mild slash & fluff later.
1. Rainstorm

Chapter 1

The sky was dark and clouded promising rain, massive tree's bent and swayed in the strong wind and no animals dared poked there head out of wherever it was they were taking shelter.

Stefan Salvatore pulled his hood up and kept walking, digging in his leather-boot covered toes to keep from falling flat on his back whenever the wind blew. It's not like he had meant to get caught out in the storm, he had been hunting a lone doe and then it had suddenly bolted at the sudden clap of thunder.

Just as the clouds opened up and the rain started to fall Stefan reached the road, quickly adjusting the old leather one strap bag his nephew Zach had found for him the in closet at the boarding house.

'_I can't believe I decided to hunt before school', _Stefan thought as he made his way down the side of the narrow two lane road, thinking back to the deer that lay shallowly buried near the graveyard.

The rain was getting worse, harder and heavier as the wind picked up.

Stefan quickly ducked into the shelter of a rather dense section of forest and pulled out his cell, quickly running a hand through his now soaked hair before calling the boarding house.

"Hello?" Zach sounded half asleep and Stefan guessed he had still been asleep when the phone had rung.

"Hey Zach," Stefan started, pausing when thunder boomed overhead.

There was a short pause then, "uncle Stefan?" Stefan heard the sound of a lamp clicking on.

"Yea…" Stefan peeked out at the road, "Can you come get me? It's storming and…"

"Just make a run for it… it'll only take you seconds if you run full speed," Zach cut in stifling a yawn.

Stefan sighed, Zach was right of course, being a vampire came with the whole advantage of being super fast. But the thought of getting even more drenched then he already was… Stefan shook his head.

The sound of an approaching car made Stefan peer out into the rain again, "Alright, I'll see you after school…" Stefan hung up before Zach could reply and jogged over to the old light blue camaro convertible (which of course had its roof up) that had pulled over onto the side of the road.

Opening the door Stefan looked in, only to receive an annoyed look from his older brother. "Just get in the car already." Damon stated simply turning his gaze back to the road and drumming his fingers on the wheel before fiddling with the Lapis Lazuli ring on his right hand.

Stefan chucked his back-pack into the back seat and climbed into the passenger seat, closing the door as quickly as possible before turning to his brother who was scowling at him.

"Great…now you're going to get water all over my seats. Thanks a lot." Damon pulled the car back onto the road and quickly accelerated way past the speed limit until the tree's were practically blurs racing by.

Stefan stared out the windshield, "you didn't have to stop and get me, I could've made Zach get me."

"Sure I didn't… But then you would've called me and bitched and complained until you got your way…it's how you've always been little brother, you always have to be right." Damon glanced at him from the corner of one icy blue-green eye.

"I don't complain." Stefan stated, turning to once again face his older sibling, "if anything you…"

Damon's elbow connected with Stefan's face and nose with a dull crunch, Stefan's head slamming back into the side window causing the glass to spider-web.

Stefan slumped forward towards the dashboard unconscious, head lolling at an odd angle as blood oozed sluggishly from his nose.

Damon shoved him back against the seat again staring at the blood already starting to dry on his brothers face for a long moment before turning his attention back to the road, a smirk seeming to be permanently etched on his face.

With both hands on the wheel, he kept on driving, straight past the high school and out of Mystic Falls, speeding through the rain storm and out of sight.

Lightning forked through the sky.

* * *

I know, kind of a short first chapter, the others should be longer, this story will be a mix of the books (vampire powers etc) and show (characters and looks).


	2. Bloodstained

Chapter 2: The Boarding House

It was still raining when Elena Gilbert pulled up outside the Salvatore Boarding House on the outskirts of town after school, her younger brother Jeremy sat shotgun looking bored and slightly annoyed, shaggy brown bangs half hanging in his face.

"I think you're over reacting , just because he wasn't in school one day…it's not like he hasn't missed school before." Jeremy stated, slouching down and looking over at his sister.

"He's not answering his phone or replying to the texts I've sent him. It's not like him to ignore me," Elena replied, putting the car in park and climbing out, hearing Jeremy mutter something about being obsessive before she closed the door and headed to the dark wood front door.

Before she could even knock, the door opened and Damon flashed what Elena guessed was supposed to be a winning/happy smile, which Elena didn't return.

"Elena, what a pleasant surprise…what brings you all the way out here? Have you come all this way just to see lil' old me?" Damon said grinning, saying the last words in a Texan accent that was so corny she almost laughed.

"Where's Stefan?"

Damon's smile vanished quickly, "I don't know, I haven't seen him since," Damon pulled a thinking face, "last night… Zach did laundry and put one of _my _shirts in with Stefan's, so I had to go into his room and get it, luckily he was sleeping so I was spared another round of Q & A." Damon rolled his eyes slightly and stepped aside giving Elena a smug smile, "please come in."

Elena stepped inside, "Where's. Stefan." she repeated, glaring and talking slowly, hoping she sounded at least slightly threatening.

Damon stepped forward so there was barely 2 inches between them, his face shoved in hers. "I. don't. know." he growled, icy eyes narrowing.

Elena swallowed and stepped back slightly at the sight of the veins under Damon's eyes momentarily darkening before vanishing, threatening to contort his face into his vampiric appearance.

"Well I haven't talked to him since last night either…and he didn't show up for school." Elena stared at Damon's black boot covered feet which almost seemed to match the dark maple floors.

Damon frowned, eye brows dragging together in slight confusion, "Zach said he went to school this morning…he said Stefan called him about eight-ish ."

"Well he never showed up Damon." Elena looked back up at him, "where were _you_ this morning?"

Damon's mouth opened and closed silently, "I don't know," he said finally looking past Elena and into the den looking slightly nervous.

Now it was Elena's turn to frown, that wasn't the answer she was expecting to get, "what do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean exactly that…"his eyes drifted to the ceiling, "I remember going into Stefan's room to get my shirt last night, I remember going downstairs…into the den, I sat on the couch…" his eyes drifted back to her, "…then boom, nothing. I was waking up on the porch with Zach kneeling by me faking concern and it was almost two pm."

Damon walked past her finally and sat on the black leather couch, "you think I did something don't you… think I killed him…" his voice had gone cold.

"I didn't say that." Elena began, but Damon was already on his feet again and before Elena could get another word out he was gone, the gust of wind he made blowing her hair across her face.

Elena sighed and ran a hand through her hair, _great, now I have two people to worry about_.

"It's not you…he's been acting off since I found him on the porch."

Elena turned to see Stefan's nephew (who she had originally thought was Stefan's uncle until she learned Stefan's real age), Zach standing by the stairs, one hand in his sweater pocket and one on the end of the banister.

"You really haven't heard from Stefan?" Elena asked walking over so she was a few feet closer.

Zach shook his head, reaching a hand up to scratch his stubbly chin, "not since he called this morning wanting a ride too school…then he just kind of hung up on me."

Elena frowned again, '_someone must've shown up'_, she thought, '_and the only one who doesn't know anything about this morning is Damon…" _

Suddenly someone knocked on the door and she jumped, surprisingly Zach didn't, he just walked over and opened it, looking slightly surprised to see Jeremy standing there.

"Jeremy… What's wrong?" Elena pushed past Zach so she could see Jeremy better.

"Uh… I think you guys should come out here," Jeremy said, seeming pale despite the fact that he had a slight tan.

Elena and Zach stepped outside, hearing Damon coming down the stairs and following them out, "what's going on?" Damon asked glancing around at them.

"Well…Mr. Anders just towed in Damon's car…and…" Jeremy trailed off as he lead them through the drizzle to the side yard where Damon's camaro sat.

They all stared, Elena's stomach turning to ice.

The passenger side window was cracked, the cause was obviously something from the inside hitting it hard, making it spider-web, and on the door was blood…half washed away by the rain.

Finally finding her voice, Elena voiced the one name she was sure they were all thinking, but when she talked it came out quiet and hushed, her voice quavering slightly.

"_Stefan."_


	3. Imprisoned

Chapter 3: Imprisoned.

Stefan's eye lids fluttered, his senses slowly rebooting, the feeling slowly starting to return to his body.

The first thing he felt was pain, and not just the dull throb that ran through his head when he swallowed, no, there was also the breath stopping pain that was shooting through his stomach, the pain splintering up through his chest and down through his hips and legs.

Stefan bit back a whimper and forced his eyes open, he knew the only thing that caused that kind of pain, and sure enough when he lifted his head to look down at himself (quickly regretting it at the smell of blood that wafted from the bloody wound on his neck), there it was.

A wooden stake.

Driven perfectly into the center of his stomach, going right through barely missing his spine and stabbing into what ever surface he was laying on.

Stefan let his head drop back down swallowing.

Why would Damon do this? He knew his brother was always threatening to kill him, but then his other promise of making Stefan's immortal life miserable wouldn't be lived up too… he hadn't actually thought Damon had the guts to anything to him except shove him around a bit and threaten him.

But now Stefan thought otherwise.

He glanced down at his wrists, moving his head as slow as possible to avoid the half healed ripped bite mark on his neck from tearing open and bleeding.

Nasty looking barbed wire was keeping them in place, the pointy pieces of metal stabbing into his flesh and leaving them bloody.

Stefan swallowed hard, trying to wet his mouth so he could talk. "Damon!?"

He wasn't even sure if he had spoken out loud, but then there was the sound of scraping metal to his left and suddenly Damon was next to him, his usual smug smirk plastered to his face, "good morning little brother, did we have a good nap?"

Stefan's mouth opened and closed silently several times before he summed all his questions into one word.

"Why?"

Damon laughed, it was a dark sound that made Stefan's skin crawl and his fingers twitch.

Damon leapt up onto the altar as lightly as a cat, feet on either side of his brothers hips as he stared down at him, studying him for a long moment.

"That, Saint Stefan, is a very good question, and I'd be _more_ then happy to answer it"

He crouched down, putting his right hand, (Stefan's lingered on the finger that wore not Damon's ring, but _his_ ring), on the top of the wooden stake, fingers closing as he twisted the piece of wood lodge into his brothers body, smirk growing into a grin as Stefan's face contorted from pain, the veins around his eyes darkening like his eyes as he let out a choked gasp of pain.

Stefan slammed his head back, not caring at the moment about the fact that his head was already throbbing, right before he felt a fist clench into his shirt and he was pulled up a few inches, eyes half opening to stare into his brothers, Damon's face only inches away from his own.

"Because I can brother."

Then he felt Damon's free hand lock painfully into his hair, dragging his head to the side, exposing his bare throat.

He had the brief feeling of humiliation of being the hunted, the prey, then Damon's teeth sunk into his neck, tearing the flesh with ease and the smell of fresh blood reached Stefan's nose.

Stefan resisted, knowing it would only make it worse…feeling his blood being drawn against his will.

Fresh pain ran up through his jaw and cheek and down through his shoulder and chest, white dots dancing in his vision as he finally realized he was about to pass out.

Suddenly Damon let go and Stefan fell back, stunned.

"You will never be as strong as me…I can take you, your blood, your life, any time I want it, and you can't stop me." Damon was smirking victoriously down at him as he sat back, elbows on his knees. "Now, sadly, I have to leave you again… _I_ have a very _special _date."

Stefan forced his eyes to flicker to his brother, _'don't hurt her…' _the thought was somewhat shaky and weak but he managed to get it out.

"Elena…she's so beautiful…and a dead-ringer of Katherine of course," Damon smirked as he stood up and stepped over Stefan and off the altar, his boots making almost no noise as he landed, "and don't worry…I wouldn't dream of hurting sweet little Elena," Damon paused, "much."

Stefan glared but then Damon suddenly whirled around, fist swinging.

Stefan blacked out.


	4. Confusion

Chapter 4: Where Was I?

It had happened again, though this time he had been hunting, following a cute little brunette to her apartment while she was none the wiser to his presence.

Damon stared at the familiar ceiling of Elena's living room, wondering how on earth he had gotten there… worse was the fact of the taste of blood when he had woken up , not Elena's (or anyone else in her little family thank God), but Stefan's…

The sound of someone jogging down the stairs pulled Damon from his thoughts and his noise twitched as he tried to figure out who it was. _Jeremy_.

"Damon?" he could feel the teenager staring at him confused and surprised, but he didn't move (it wasn't like he _couldn't_ move, but he was too lazy). "What're you doing here?"

Damon ignored his question, asking one of his own, "Is Elena up yet?"

"No, she's still sleeping," there was the awkward pause Damon had been waiting for, then the awaited hated question, "How did you get in?"

"Doesn't matter, the fact is, I'm here, and I need to see Elena," Damon rolled to his feet, taking a moment to straighten his leather jacket (swallowing at the sight of dried blood drops on his t-shirt and the fact he had a few short light brown hairs caught in his jacket), and stood up, heading for the stairs, "her rooms the last on the left right?"

"Uh…yea…" Jeremy stood there in his sweat pants and stretched out t-shirt, watching him as he climbed the stairs.

'_good kid, though not the brightest,'_ Damon thought as he walked down the hall and peeked into Elena's room, making sure she wasn't completely naked (though one leg of her pyjama pants was riding up surprisingly high above her knee) before walking in.

Damon sat at the end of her bed, watching her for a moment before reaching over, hand on her bare knee, and shaking her, "Elena. Wake up."

Elena bolted awake.

Damon had just enough time to lunge forward and clasp a hand over her mouth to keep her shriek from being heard downstairs, "Shhhh… I'm not going to hurt you, We need to talk." He slowly moved his hand and Elena moved away, propping herself up against the headboard, pulling the blankets with her.

"Damon, what are you doing here?" Elena wasn't exactly glaring, though she didn't seem pleased to see him.

"I… had another black out." Damon looked towards the ceiling and forced the words out, not liking the thought of sounding at all weak in front of his brothers girlfriend.

Elena stared at him for a moment before swallowing, tucking her hair behind her ears and pulling her pant leg down over her knee again, "was there anything different about this one?"

"Besides having Stefan's blood on my teeth and hair on my clothes? No." Damon replied as Elena's eyes widened.

Damon stood, "apparently I have an alter ego," he strolled over to the window, opening it and letting the cool morning air in, "though not cool like batman or superman."

"And you have no clue at all where Stefan could be?" Elena asked pulling her hair back into a pony tail and looking at him as he leaned against the window sill.

Damon sighed and folded his arms across his chest.

"I…" he paused and scowled, staring at himself in the mirror hanging on the wall across from him.

"You…?" Elena prompted kicking her blankets off and standing, stopping to adjust her pant legs before walking over.

"I have to go…" Damon ducked and swung one leg out the window.

"Damon!" Elena grabbed his arm making him pause and look at her, eye brows slightly raised giving her a typical 'what now?" look, "where are you going?"

"I think I know where Stefan is…and it's probably gonna be dangerous so you're staying here." Damon replied pulling his arm free of Elena's grip.

Elena opened and closed her mouth, knowing she'd get no where by arguing with him, "be careful."

Damon smirked, "I always am."

With that Damon leapt silently from the window and by the time Elena looked out seconds later, he was already gone and there was no sign he was ever there.

* * *

THE NEXT CHAPTER CONTAINS MILD SLASH (i didn't go with full just in case some readers dont like that kinda thing)


	5. Compulsion

Chapter 5: Compulsion

Stefan forced his eyes open, the pain from the wooden stake, which was now driven in deeper, comming back slowly as his senses groggily rebooted, though not nearly as good as before.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been out for, he just remembered Damon's fist flying at him... then nothing.

"I was starting to think you'd gone into a coma,"

Stefan lifted his head just high enough so that he could see Damon leaning against the wall with a smug expression on his face and not cause himself to get light headed.

"Let me guess," Damon laced his fingers together and pointed at him, "you wish i had," he smiled.

Stefan let his head fall back and swallowed, trying to silently free his hands, hoping he was being careful enough so Damon wouldn't notice.

He jumped slightly when Damon was suddenly standing over him on the alter, feet touching Stefan's hips.

"If you're going to kill me Damon, then do it already, stop stalling." Stefan rasped, managing a weak glare up at his brother.

Damon laughed, the sound echoing off the walls, "but we've barely had any fun yet little brother." he kneeled down, straddling Stefans hips and leaned over, breath tickling his ear, "do you wanna have some _fun _stefan?"

Stefan shut his eyes and turned his head away quickly just in time to feel Damons teeth graze his earlobe.

"Well you're no fun." Damon stated sounding amused, a smirk spreading on his face as he grasped Stefans chin roughly and forced his head to turn back. "You used to be a lot more fun."

"Go to hell," Stefan gritted out, trying to turn his head away again but stopping when Damon suddenly kissed him, tongue easily gaining access into Stefans mouth when Stefan gasped in surprise.

Stefan squirmed, trying to turn his head away from Damons exploring tongue, his muscles weak and tired from being tied up and not fed for days, pain lancing through his body as the wooden stake held him in place.

After a moment he gave up and let himself be kissed, hearing Damon give a faint growl of approval.

Just as Stefan's lungs started to strain for air Damon pulled back, breathing slightly hard, a satisfied grin plastered to his face, "well i must say, you are a wonderful kisser, but next time, do you think you could give a little back?" He laughed when Stefan glared at him and patted his cheek lightly before Stefan looked away angerly.

"Your gonna give me the silent treatment now are you? Wow," Damon sat back and put on a hurt expression, one hand over his heart,"that _hurts_ dude," his hurt expression was quickly replaced by a cocky one, "let's see if i can get you to make some noise hm?" Damon got up and left the room silently, leaving Stefan alone in the dimly lit room.

A million thoughts ran through Stefans head, none of the pleasent as to what his brother could do while he was tied up. Stefan cursed quietly and redoubled his efforts at freeing his hands, his palms getting sticky as his wrists and arms were freshly torn.

"Oh Stefan..." Damons sing-song voice floated in through the open doorway, and Stefan jerked his head towards it, heart pounding against his ribs as he heard Damon returning.

Damon popped his head in, giving him a suspicious look, "you're not trying to escape are you? because then i'd have get even _more_ stuff to tie you up with... and _that_ would limit the fun we could have."

"Go. To hell." Stefan repeated which got a laugh out of Damon who strolled back into the room, Stefans backpack (which Stefan knew was being used to carry other things now) over his shoulder.

"I Already am little brother."

Stefan turned his head away, listening as his brother rumaged through the bag, the sound of metal and glass clinking making his mouth go dry.

A moment later cold metal brushed against his skin as Damon used a rather large hunting knife to cut Stefans shirt open, pushing the bloody fabric to the side before walking around the alter almost as if he was admiring a work of art.

"I wonder..." Damon leapt up onto the alter, again straddling Stefan's hips as he leaned forward slightly, grasping stefans right arm just above the elbow roughly and putting the knife between his teeth so he could push up Stefans sleeve exposing his tattoo.

Damon removed the knife from his mouth, licking the blood off his lip when the blade slipped slightly. "What you would look like without this..." he traced the tattoo lightly with the tip of the blade, smirking when he saw Stefans alarmed expression.

"Maybe later hm?" Damon slid the blade across Stefans chest just above his right nipple, aplying just enough pressure to draw blood, ducking down to follow the blood trail with his tongue making Stefan's breath hitch.

Damon looked up at him, eyebrows raised, a grin on his face, "does saint Stefan have a knife-kink?"

"Get off me."

"When I'm bored." Damon replied simply, sliding down his thighs slightly so he could cut a line down Stefan's ribs, his tongue following soon after, the wound ending only half an inch from where the stake jutted from the center of his stomach.

Stefan closed his eyes, wishing at that moment he _had_ been put into a coma, or killed, at the current moment both would've worked fine.

"You know," Damons voice jarred Stefan from his thoughts, his stomach flip-floping when Damon rested his chin on his belt-buckle and stared up at him innocently smirking, "It would be alot more funner for _me_ if you kept your eyes open."

Stefan closed his eyes again.

There was a slight woosh of air then a hand locked in his hair, pulling painfully until Stefan opened his eyes with a pained gasp.

"Do what i say Stefan." Damons voice was cold and serious and...

Stefan found himself focusing only on Damon's eyes, watching his pupils dilated and contrate as his mind started hazing out, only concentrating on Damons voice.

_'I'm...Being compelled...' _Stefan thought groggily, his mind not wanting to think on its own and just let Damon do the thinking for him.

"You're going to keep your eyes open, blink if you have to, but dont keep them closed. Understand?"

Stefan nodded slowly along with Damon, _'simple enough', _he thought,then out loud, "im going to keep my eyes open...only blinking..."

"That's my boy," smiled Damon before studying Stefans face, eyes lingering on Stefans lips before his eyes flickered back to Stefans, "kiss me,"

_'Another simple command...'_

Then Damon's lips were crushed against his, teeth nipping just hard enough to tear skin and draw blood before his tongue would flick out to sooth the abused flesh.

Stefan kissed back, a muted voice in the back of his mind screaming in protest to his bodys actions, letting out a constant chant of _'wrongwrongWRONG!'_

He barely noticed as Damon's sneaky,nimble hands snaked their way down his chest, and stomach (carefully skimming the wooden stake), and slowly, carefully, unbuckled his belt.


	6. Scratched

Chapter 6: Savior

**Disclaimer:**** I know its a little late, but i sadly don't own Stefan or Damon (but one can dream!). I also don't own any VD characters, like Alaric, or Zach, or Elena...**

Cool breath puffed softly against his neck.

Stefan kept his eyes closed, he didn't want to open them, if he did, he would have to look at _him._

Though he wasn't locked up in a dark stoney basement anymore, the wrecked room upstairs missing some of it's ceiling allowing the rain that was currently falling inside wasn't much of an improvement.

He could feel Damon's arm tight around his waist and his chin lightly on his shoulder. When he moved his left leg he could feel the weight of an old fashioned shackle on his ankle, keeping him from leaving the room.

Stefan sighed as quietly as possibly, trying to remember the last time he stood up, the last time he ate, the last time he saw Elena, or Zach... The last time he woke up not afraid of what was going to happen to him.

He had to get free, he had to get away from Damon.

Stefan moved his leg causing the shackle to clank loudly against the bed post making Damon stir, his arm around Stefan momentarily tightening its grip before he moved away and got up, stretching his arms over his head and looking down at his brother, a smirk on his face.

"Good morning sunshine...did we have a nice sleep?" Damon asked, sliding down to the end of the bed and pulling back on his jeans before checking that the shackle was still secured to Stefan's ankle.

Stefan said nothing, just slowly rolled onto his side, putting his back to Damon. It made it slightly harder for him to breath and his stomach and body flared with pain but he stayed that way, just so he didn't have to see him.

Damon hadn't actually_ removed _the wooden stake from Stefan's body, he has simply broken it off short enough that, with a few drops of blood, Stefan's body had healed over it, causing him more pain then it had before.

"So you're not talking to me again today? Alright, if that's how you wanna be. I have plans for today anyways." Damon shrugged, casually standing and walking around to Stefan's side of the bed crouching down so he was face to face, noses only inches apart. "You know I hate to leave you, but don't worry, i promise I'll come back." another smirk then Stefan found himself pulled painfully forward by his hair and kissed roughly, released mere seconds later as Damon pulled back, wiped the small amount of spit of Stefan's lower lip then got up and left, the cracked door closing and locking behind him.

Stefan strained to listen to make sure his brother truly was gone before he managed to, painstakingly slow, bend enough to clumsily reach his ankle and get to work on trying to get it off.

The sound of flapping wings made him freeze and he turned his head towards the opening in the ceiling, eyes travelling from the gaping hole in the roof to where a large black crow was sitting on the half smashed chair in the corner of the large room.

'_Dammit,' _thought Stefan as the bird rustled its wings and cawed loudly, the sound echoing off the walls, '_does he honestly think i forgot his crow trick?'_

A moment later the crow transformed into a larger, more deadlier shape.

The black wolf moved forward, pale icy eyes staring at him, it sniffed at Stefan's face, his stomach (which made the wolf growl quietly), then moved down to Stefan's ankle where it sniffed at the shackle before taking the chain that connected it to the bed in its jaws and biting down, the half rusted metal crushing between its teeth.

Stefan stared and blinked as the wolf once against changed shape, now taking Damon's form, his soaked black leather jacket clinging to his body, wet dark hair somewhat falling in his face, water dripping off his chin.

"Stefan?"

The sheet was pulled up around him, then a rough hand was lifting his face up off the pillow making him cringe away as the eye that was used to darkness was exposed to the weak day light shifting in through the ceiling along with the rain.

Damon's concerned expression finally came into view, and at that moment Stefan jumped back, giving a weak cry of pain as his body protested to his movements.

Damon's hand caught his wrist, "easy little brother..." Damon's voice was quiet and soothing, his grip loose but firm on Stefan's skinny wrist. "No ones gonna hurt you...not anymore."

Stefan just stared at him, what was he doing? One moment acting homicidal, and now acting...well, not.

"Please...Let go, leave me alone," Stefan pleaded, dropping his gaze and staring at his skeletal looking arm, its skin dry and slowly browning from lack of blood. Pulling the sheet closer and his knees up, Stefan allowed his eyes to flicker to his brothers face, "don't hurt me anymore." His voice cracked slightly and it was incredibly hard to stay sitting up, even harder with Damon still holding onto his wrist.

To his surprise Damon released him instantly, his expression going from concerned to upset, then angry.

Stefan cringed back expecting the worse, to be hit, bit or pressed into the bed, but Damon just crouched there by the bed, pale icy eyes locked on him, not blinking.

"Get out of here Stefan," Damon finally said, standing up and dragging both Stefan and the sheet off the bed, "run and don't look back." He tightened his grip on Stefan's shoulder then shoved him towards the door.

Stefan clumsily crashed into the door and collapsed, but reached up and fumbled with the door knob, his legs bent uselessly under him, one arm wrapped around his stomach, he swallowed hard, trying to keep his voice from shaking, "it's... it's locked." _Why was Damon acting like he didn't know that? _Stefan thought as he heard Damon approach from behind him.

Damon's hand batted his away and simply broke the door knob clean off.

Stefan sat there, resisting the urge to simply move away from Damon, but something was off, it was like his brother had suddenly become another person, he watched as Damon inspected the door knob before chucking it away, Damon's ring catching the dim light coming through the hole in the ceiling. That's when he saw it.

The scratch, he had never found out how Damon's ring had gotten the thin crooked scratch on the band, but it was there for as long as he could remember, since the first they had split apart after turning and then found each other again (well, Damon had found him).

But that meant, if Damon was wearing his own ring, where was his?

Damon sat on the bed. "Why are you still here Stefan?"

Stefan stumbled to his feet, clumsily opened the door, and ran.


	7. Buried

Chapter 7

Damon watched as Stefan got to his feet and stumbled clumsily from the room. He _really_ should go with him, get him back to the boarding house and to Zach safely, but he had better things to do.

Like rip out the throat of the bastard who kidnapped his brother in the first place.

Glancing at his watch, he huffed out a bored breath before transforming back into a crow and fluttering up to the gaping hole in the ceiling where he perched, feathered ruffled against the light rain, able to see the whole room from his perch.

Now he just had to wait, '_well this is going to be a fun stake out.'_

The minutes stretched, allowing Damon to think things over, '_why was he so afraid of me? And what the hell was with all the 'please don't hurt me anymore's'? "_

Nearly two hour's had passed and Damon was just about to fly off after Stefan to question his brother, and to make sure he hadn't killed himself, when there was the sound of footsteps outside the bedroom door and he froze, currently dark, beady eyes locking on the door as it was slowly pushed further opened.

"Oh Stefan," a voice that matched his own sing-songed. He watched a man that looked identical to himself and even wore his clothes as he walked silently into the room, stopping at the site of the empty bed.

"Stefan?"

The imposter was obviously pissed because he quickly started to trash the room as if he excepted Stefan to be hiding behind the desk.

Damon waited until the other mans back was turned before he fluttered down and transformed back into his human form, casually leaning against the wall and folding his arms as he watched the man who was to absorbed in trashing the room to notice him.

Damon cleared his throat.

The man whipped around and looked at him, obviously surprised by his sudden appearance.

Damon smirked at him, "so you're the bastard who kidnapped my brother huh?" Damon eyed him up and down, "I gotta hand it to you, you picked the better looking brother to look like."

"I was wondering when you'd find me, and I see you've let Stefan go," the imposter shrugged slightly, "oh well, doesn't matter, I'll grab him later."

Damon laughed slightly and straightened up, "you're not going anywhere...especially not anywhere near my brother."

The imposter snorted, "like you could stop me... Besides, me and your brother, we had _a lot _of fun... er..." He smiled, "I mean, _you _and your brother had a lot of fun."

Damon's eyes narrowed and a growl rose in his throat, "you _sick_ son of a bitch."

He'd had it, lunging forward he caught the bastard by surprise and they smashed into the opposite wall before the fell in a snarling, clawing heap of flailing limbs to the floor.

Damon growled in satisfaction when he felt warm blood gush over his teeth and chin and his opponent shrieked in pain as Damon's fangs pierced his flesh.

It seemed the fight was over all too quickly for Damon, his look a like laying in a bloody, messy heap on the dusty wood floor.

Standing slowly and wiping the blood from a already healing gash on his cheek, Damon turned and limped for the door, whipping around when the sound of someone clearing their throat in a mocking way caught his attention.

Something heavy and metal collided painfully with his face and he was sent sprawling into the floor with a loud thump, getting a quick, blurry glimpse of his look a like going from being Damon to a man with black eyes and bright red hair.

Then the object was brought down hair in Damon's face and he knew nothing more.

-

Damon woke up as he was being dragged through the woods in the dark, loose roots and leaves grabbing at his clothes and hair as they passed, large, warm hands wrapped around his ankles.

He couldn't move, his head was still to foggy from being slammed with what he now knew to have been a shovel, and his limbs still to heavy feeling to lift.

So heavy that he couldn't prevent himself from being thrown into a grave like hole in the earth below a massive tree. When he landed it was on something somewhat soft and he managed to roll himself off it to get a better look as dirt started to rain down on him from above.

Something covered in a blanket.

Swallowing, Damon pulled the blanket back enough to see that it was a ragged, torn up Stefan who was under it.

Damon covered Stefan back over to protect his brother from the soil that was slowly burying them before he looked up at the man who stood with the shovel.

"So long Damon Salvatore, the world's _definitely _better off without you... Make that _both _of you."

Opening his mouth to to speak, he quickly closed it when a shovel full of dirt was aimed directly at his head and he turned it away.

Knowing he would never get out of the hole in one piece, Damon did the only thing he had the strength to do.

He threw himself over his brothers prone body, mainly protecting Stefan's head, and clasped his hands beind his head as they were both quickly and silently buried alive in the ground.

And slowly, over time, making the town above them believe that the Salvatore brother's had simply left Mystic Falls for good.

~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~

**I know!**

I haven't updated in like, forever, but here it is! Drum roll Please! Chapter 7! :D

**It's A kinda fluffy ending I like to think, Damon being protective and all. But that could just be me... Or not.**

**Let me know what you think... just press the little buttony link below, y'know, the one with 'Review This Chapter' written on it :3 they's are much loved.**


	8. Muddy

Chapter 8

It was raining.

Though lately, meaning for the past two years, Elena found it was always raining. And even though Stefan had always told her that the rain was nice, especially for vampires, she had never really liked it, it made her feel sad... made her feel alone.

Especially now that she was, both Stefan and Damon having to seemingly vanish off the face of the earth.

"Elena, will you hurry it up?"

Elena looked up the slight hill through the drizzle at her brother Jeremy, now seventeen, who stood staring down at her, his face somewhat shadowed from his hood, standing next to their aunt Jenna and Jenna's boyfriend Alaric Saltzman, who also happened to be Jeremy's history teacher.

"Yeah, sorry..." she made her way up the hill, grabbing onto tree limbs and bushes to pull herself up until she was standing with them.

"Tell me again whose idea it was to take a hike through the woods when it could start storming at any minute?" All three of them turned to look at Jeremy who held his hands up in a surrendering way.

"It's not _my _fault you barely ever leave the house Elena, it's been two years." Jeremy replied, letting his hands drop back to his sides.

Elena said nothing, feeling her heart clench, but looked around to try to figure out where they were.

"What's going on down there?"

Elena looked at Alaric then to where he was looking, a long with Jenna and Jeremy, to where Liz Forbes, the town sheriff, stood with her deputies. They were stringing up crime scene tape, DO NOT CROSS written in black standing out boldly against the yellow tape, though she wasn't sure why they would need it considering barely anyone ever hiked out here.

"Should we go find out?" asked Jeremy, seeming slightly excited as he headed towards them without waiting for anyone to give him an answer.

Elena paused, then followed behind and aunt and Alaric as they followed behind Jeremy, no one speaking until Liz looked over at them from where she was finishing tying the crime scene tape to a tree. In front of her, on the other side of the tape was what looked like a six foot deep sink hole, the massive amounts of rain having made the nearby ground soft and muddy.

"Hey sheriff, what's going on?" Jeremy shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets and glanced at Jenna and Alaric as they stopped next to him, Elena stopping on his other side.

"It's nothing... Just washed away earth, but we don't want any stray campers or hikers falling in, so we thought we'd mark it off, just in case," Liz explained, walking around the gully to join them.

It had started to rain harder, the leaf canopy above them only managing to hold back some of the rain, small pools of water already forming where the ground had started to sink in.

Elena shuffled slightly closer to the tape, peering over the side. She'd thought she'd seen something, a glisten among the mud, soil and roots. Then again it could just be that her eyes were playing tricks on her due to the weather.

"Elena... Be careful, don't get to close, the ground it slippery."

She looked over at the sheriff and nodded, the looked back into the sink hole. There it was again, a glisten, some sort of gem...maybe a piece of jewelry...

Swallowing hard, Elena slid down into the sink hole, sinking into ankle deep mud instantly. Glad that she was wearing rubber boots, Elena made her way over to where she'd see it and kneeled down, the thought of getting her jeans muddy the last thing on her mind as she reached a shaking hand to the glistening blue speck she'd seen from at the top of the hole.

"Elena! Get out of there!" Jenna sounded surprised and alarmed. Everyone else quickly turned to look down at her, no one seeming to have noticed her as she'd gone down into the mud.

Using her fingers, she cleared the mud off the lapis lazuli stone, quickly revealing the ring it belong too, her throat constricting almost painfully as she held back a sob. Clearing away more mud she found it still attached to it's owners left hand, the skin now decayed, brittle and brown from years of being buried.

"Is that..." It was Jeremy who spoke, his voice shaking ever so slightly as he stared down at Elena who was staring at the ringed hand, "a body?"

The ring was on the left hand...

"It's Damon..." she was surprised that she could talk at all. Elena started wiping away more mud, finding a leather clad arm, another hand and arm, dark, mud slicked hair, shoulders... She realized he was laying face down.

Above her Liz was calling it in, and behind her Alaric was sliding down into the sink hole to help her... Or maybe to make her stop.

But she _had _to get Damon out, she wouldn't...no she _couldn't _just leave him here, not for the police to take and disect. Even after all the bad things Damon had done, he was Stefan's brother and he wouldn't want that to happen to Damon.

"Elena..." Alaric's voice was close to her ear, and quiet to avoid the people out of the sink hole hearing them, "we both know there's a chance he's not dead, after all, he's been dead for a hundred and forty-five years. But until I'm able to get the police to leave, we can't help him. You know that, and I know that."

Elena stopped, she had uncovered from Damon's shoulders, up. He looked dead, his face sunken in, brittle browned skin pulled tight like a mummy. But even like this he was still Damon, his hands somewhat covering his head in a way that clearly meant he had been awake when he'd felt the earth start to rain down on him...

In her unfocused state, she could hear but not distinguish what Alaric was saying to Liz and her deputies, and when she looked back she saw that they were leaving. Whatever the history teacher had said to them had obviously worked.

"Mr. Saltzman... Help me get him out of the ground now... please, I don't want him to stay here, he shouldn't have too..." Elena trailed off, clearing more mud off Damon's lifeless, skeletal form.

The next five minutes flew by.

As it turned out Jenna had gone with the police too, leaving Jeremy and Alaric to help Elena lift Damon from the ground and lay him a few feet away.

"Damon... Damon wake up, please..." She put her hand on his boney chest and shook him slightly, trying to wake him.

"Elena... Maybe he is y'know... _dead." _Jeremy pulled his hood down over his face more to keep it from falling back and off his head.

"Don't say that Jere..." Elena turned to look at him, jumping when a boney hand suddenly grabbed her arm and she whipped her head back around, " Damon..."

Damon was staring at her, eyes badly bloodshot locked on her, seeming lost, confused, angry... possibly scared, reminding Elena of the vampires who spent so many years in the tomb below the old church.

"It's alright, it's me, it's Elena," his gripped loosened on her arm as he recognized her and she used her free hand to tuck her hair back in place behind her ear.

"Hey Elena... You better get over here."

Elena looked over to where Alaric was standing looking back down into the sink hole, his expression somewhat clouded.

Waiting until Jeremy was sitting next to Damon, she stood then paused as her brother pulled out his pocket knife, "Jeremy... What are you doing?"

"He need's blood, I'll be fine... I've given blood before," when Elena looked confused, Jeremy let out a sigh, "Anna."

"Just... Be careful," Elena turned and walked over to Alaric, stopping next to him and looking where he was looking.

Where Damon had been laying was a dirt smeared wet blanket, the old blanket obviously covering something... or someone.

Heart racing Elena slid back into the sink hole, hearing Jeremy let out a pained hiss to her left as Damon's fangs most likely found a vein.

Everything seemed to go eerily silent as she knelt back down in the mud next to the blanket, hands trembling madly as she took hold of the blankets edge and pulled it back revealing the person underneath.

The sob that had been building ever since she'd first spotted Damon's ring in the dirt escaped Elena's throat.

"...Stefan."

~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~

**Sorry it took so long for the update! My friend told me I had to work on my Criminal Minds story... So I did (that and school) XD.**

**Hope everyone enjoys this chapter :) I know some readers were hoping that my previous chapter wasn't my last... And it's not! Ta da! lol**

** As always REVIEWS are much loved :3**


	9. Home

**Authors Note: Um, there are kinda episode spoilers if you haven't seen every episode in season one... :) though I'm sure everyone has.**

Chapter 9

It was Jeremy and Alaric who went into the sink hole to get Stefan out.

Elena stayed on more solid ground, kneeling next to Damon who had finally managed to prop himself crookedly against a tree after several failed attempts, having refused Elena's help every time.

Damon was looking better then he had been ten minutes ago, though his appearance hadn't changed enough to be overly noticeable. His features weren't as sunken in and he was more alert, but when it came to energy he was still practically drained. What little rain that was still falling beaded down his darkened face and clung to his hair, but he made no move to wipe it away, seeming to absorbed in watching as the humans carefully brought his brother out of the sink hole.

Finally, after much sliding and a few choice curse words, the two humans managed to get Stefan out of the hole, the vampire completely hidden by the muddy, soaked blanket that he'd been covered with.

Damon sat up slightly more as Alaric and Jeremy set his brother on the ground and Elena hurried over to them.

"Where are his clothes?"

Jeremy asked it, as nobody else seemed to have the guts to ask it.

"He didn't have any," Damon rasped as he almost unwillingly allowed Jeremy to help him over, "when I found him, he didn't have clothes, he was locked in a room missing half it's room and he was chained to a bed... God knows," he hissed slightly as the teenager helped him sit on the ground again, "how long he'd been left in there, he freaked out when he saw me..." the vampire trailed off.

Elena swallowed hard, blinking back tears, "why... Why would someone do this?" She wiped a spot mud off of Stefan's darkened face with shaking fingers.

The question hung in the air, no one seeming to be able to come up with a good enough answer.

Jeremy took out his pocket knife again.

"It doesn't matter, it's been done," Damon finally stated, watching as Elena quickly took the knife from her brother and cut open her palm to give Stefan blood.

"Hurry up Elena, we need to get them out of here," Jeremy stood and looked around, "the sheriff and her deputies could be back any minute."

"They won't be back for awhile, I told Jenna to stall them," Alaric replied, watching as Elena pressed her bloody hand to Stefan's thinned and dry lips, waiting for a response.

Everyone turned to look at the vampire hunting history teacher, "did you tell her about Stefan and Damon?" asked Elena, looking away from Alaric and down at Stefan, smiling slightly when she felt the vampires tongue flick out to taste the blood that was being offered.

"No, I came up with some clever lie that I can't even remember anymore, but seeing as they're not back yet, I'd say it worked," Alaric stood up, quickly stretching before he looked down at Stefan who had now latched on to Elena's hand and was slowly drinking, "don't let him take to much," he warned.

"How are we gonna get them back to the boarding house?" Jeremy asked, wiping the blade of his pocket knife on his jeans and snapping it shut, tucking it back in pants pocket.

"We're gonna have to walk, the grounds pretty level if we take the long way, one of us will have to help _him_," Alaric nodded to Damon who was now laying on his back, eyes closed, hands on his stomach, "and the two others will help Stefan, _or _I can just carry him over my shoulder."

"Don't be _stupid_, it's too far, you'll either end up pulling something, or trip and kill Stefan _and _yourself," Damon retorted, half opening one eye and looking at him before closing it again.

"You forget I can't die," Alaric stated with a sigh, sounding somewhat annoyed, "or did me coming back to life after you _staked_ me not make that clear to you?"

"Lets not forget who tried to stake who first Ric, the difference being _I_ was successful," the vampire didn't bother moving from his spot on the overly soaked ground, "besides, you're only unkillable while you have that nifty little ring on, the moment it's not there you're just like every other, easy to kill human on the planet," Damon opened both his eyes this time and slowly pushed himself into the sitting position before taking a deep breath, one arm wrapped around his stomach.

Jeremy stepped between them when Alaric stepped towards Damon threateningly.

Everyone turned as Elena got up slowly, cradling her cut hand, all of them hearing Stefan give a muffled whine of protest as his food source moved away.

"Jeremy, you help me with Stefan, Elena, you help Damon," Alaric instructed, handing the girl a handkerchief from his pocket for her cut hand.

Elena nodded, crouching to help Damon to his feet then stood with his arm around her shoulders as he swayed slightly on the spot, waiting until Damon nodded before she started walking, eyes going from their feet to ahead of them, making sure there was nothing to get in their way.

It took Jeremy and Alaric a moment of discussion to decide the best way of carrying the now unconscious vampire.

Carefully tucking the muddy blanket around Stefan, Jeremy helped the teacher get the vampire over his shoulders.

"I know we didn't agree for it this way, but it's easier then two of us carrying him, this way, if I trip, its two of us who go down, not all three," Alaric moved his shoulders slightly, slightly glad at the fact that Stefan had obviously lost weight over time.

Jeremy nodded, "let's just get him back to the boarding house."

The two started walking, the teenager keeping an eye out for roots and making sure Alaric didn't fall, Both occasionally stopping when the older man had to find another way around an obstacle or had to carefully readjust the vampire draped across his shoulders.

Finally they made it back to the boarding house, Elena pacing on the front step under the over hang, hurrying over when she spotted them, "was everything okay? You didn't fall or drop him?"

"We're all fine thanks, and no I didn't drop him, help me get him inside before I actually do drop him," Alaric replied, breathing heavy and steps a little shaky as he followed Elena into the den and put him on the leather sofa, he straightened up, back cracking as he stretched with a groan, "We'll move him up to the attic after I catch my breath."

"Where's Damon?" Jeremy glanced at the history teacher who had collapsed into a near by chair and then at Elena who was fussing with Stefan's hair.

"Upstairs cleaning himself up. I told him he should eat and rest, but he said that can wait until after he's showered and put on clean clothes," Elena spared him a quick glance, "and Zach's out running errands, he was leaving when I arrived with Damon, he said he'd be as quick as posible."

"Sounds like Damon," Jeremy laughed slightly, pulling off his soaked hoodie and throwing it on the coffee table before running a hand through his hair.

He couldn't really say anything about Stefan and Damon's nephew, he'd only met the man a few times when he'd been with Stefan at school or at town gatherings.

After that everyone was quiet, Alaric had fallen asleep, and was now softly snoring, Jeremy had perched himself on the sofa's arm rest and was fidgeting with the ring John had given him, while Elena sat on the floor by Stefan's head.

"Well don't we all look like a cheery bunch."

Alaric jerked awake, pushing himself up so he was sitting straighter in the chair, muttering something to himself that no one quite made out.

Jeremy and Elena looked over at Damon who stood in the doorway, dress in a clean black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dark jeans, his fingers shoved in his pockets. Besides looking tired and slightly thin, it was almost impossible to tell that he'd practically been a mummy not even an hour before.

"All of you can go home now, I can look after Stefan by myself," Damon walked forward, his expression unreadable as he slid his arms under his brother and lifted him from the sofa bridal style, taking the fleece throw Elena had laid down under Stefan with him.

"I'm staying here until Stefan wakes up," Elena got to her feet as well as Jeremy.

"You're going home Elena, it's non-negotiable," Damon narrowed his eyes warningly at her before vanishing in a blur as he took his brother upstairs to his room in the attic.

"Let's just go Elena, he's not in a good mood and you'll get no where by arguing with him," Jeremy put his hoodie over his shoulder and waited until Elena walked quietly past him tucking her hair behind her ears, before he followed.

Alaric followed after the two teenagers, stretching the sleep from his limbs, "I'm sure Damon'll call if anything happens."

Elena said nothing, just paused to glance back into the house before Alaric put his hands on her shoulders and steered her out of the house, Jeremy closing the front door quietly behind them.

**~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~**

**Bada-boom! NUMBA NINE!**

**Sorry it took so loooooooooong to update, I had my friends bugging me to update my Harry Potter story and then there was school and such.**

**But on another note... has anyone else seen the epicness that's Damon's bedroom? XD it's totally not what you expected. I mean, the sheets aren't even silk ones! And the bed's bigger then a king bed! :P I learned that from an Ian interview lol**

**Hope everybuddy enjoys :D**

**Reviews are muuuuuuuuuuuchy lovied!**


	10. Apologies

Chapter 10

Damon sighed.

So taking care of Stefan wasn't as easy as he thought it would be.

Stefan was asleep most of the time, and the few hours a day he _did_ spend awake had Damon wishing he was still asleep.

Every time he approached the bed his brother would whine in an almost pathetic manor and cringe away, Damon having to make a gentle but forceful grab for him before he could fall off the bed.

Which had happened four times in the past week.

Zach would usually show up by that point, having heard Stefan shouting from downstairs and the elder Salvatore would retreat to the other side of the attic to the old high-back chair to watch while the human calmed his brother down.

"What are we going to do Damon?"

Damon cracked opened one eye, head propped up in his hand, elbow on the armrest, eying Zach from the chair.

Zach himself sat on the bed, Stefan propped against him at a somewhat awkward angle, drinking from a large mocha brown coffee mug, eyes half closed showing that he'd only just woken up.

"What are we going to do about what?" Damon questioned, opening both eyes before he stretched slowly like an over sized cat, arms up over his head and toes curling in his boots.

"About..." Zach made a small nod towards the vampire leaning against his chest.

"About Stefan?" Damon raised an eye brow in his typical fashion, glancing at his brother who had glanced at him at mention of his name.

Zach paused, then nodded.

Damon shrugged, getting out of the chair and walking over to the window, peaking outside at the side yard and forest, squinting slightly against the sun light.

"We can't just do nothing..." Zach started, taking the now empty cup from Stefan and putting it on the nightstand, "it's been almost two weeks, and he's barely improved. He's still terrified of you."

"And how is that _my _fault?" Damon lifted his head and stood, "what do you expect me to do Zach?" he asked as he walked over, ignoring the fact his brother cringed away slightly, back towards their nephew, "wave my magic fairy wand and make everything all better?"

Zach looked up at him unblinkingly, "no... but you could at least try to help him, or even _act _like you care."

Damon's hands clenched at his sides, the veins around his eyes darkening as his anger flared at the humans tone.

"Stop it."

The vampires anger faded and he blinked as both he and Zach looked down at Stefan, who was now looking at his feet rather then the two sets of eyes on him.

"Well, well, so he _can _speak after all," Damon stared at his younger sibling eyes still narrowed slightly until Stefan's eyes flickered up to briefly meet his.

"Zach, can you uh... Give us a moment alone please," Stefan's voice rasped slightly and trembled just enough to be noticeable, showing that he was nervous as he spoke and he straightened up just enough for the human to get out from behind him before moving himself backwards so he could lean against the headboard, letting out a slow breath as he relaxed against the pillows.

Zach left silently, glancing at Damon as he did, and shut the door behind him, his steps fading as he headed down the hall.

"What's up?"

Damon sat down slowly, in an almost cautious manor, on the edge of the bed, icy eyes on his brother who sat staring at his hands, fingers tracing over where his ring usually sat.

"I just... I wanted to say that I'm sorry," Stefan started, finally lifting his head to look at the other vampire who was perched on his bed.

"For what?" Damon raised an eyebrow slightly, turning his body slightly to face his brother.

"For how I've been acting, since we got back," the younger Salvatore now seemed to be willing to look anywhere but at the brother, "I _know _he wasn't you, I know you wouldn't do any of the things that he did... but it's just... he _looked _just like you, and he _sounded_ just like you... and he..."

"Stefan," Damon paused as Stefan continued to stammer, eventually reaching out and cupping the side of his brothers neck, making him fall silent and stare at him, "just _stop_, you don't have to apologize... you didn't do anything wrong."

Stefan glanced sideways at his brother hand then nodded, waiting until Damon pulled his hand back before he pushed himself up slightly more, folding his arms across his stomach.

"Now, since I hope you're done feeling sorry for yourself, everyone who knows about our... _return," _Damon chose the wording carefully, "has been bugging me about when they can visit."

"I... don't know," Stefan ran a hand down his face fighting the urge to move away from Damon, especially since their legs were currently touching through the heaps of blankets, " I don't know if I can handle being around that many people."

"I'm not gonna let them _all _visit at once, honestly Stefan, what kind of brother do you think I am? I'm thinking one or two at a time" Damon paused, "yeah... no more then two."

"Damon..." Stefan began but his brother cut him off.

"Don't _Damon _me, I'm gonna go make some phone calls, and you're gonna take a nap and when you wake up, your visitors will be here," Damon stood, fixing the blankets in almost a loving manor before heading to the door.

"Thank you," Stefan called as Damon pulled the door open and headed out into the hall.

Damon just replied with a dismissive wave of the hand before the door closed behind him.

**~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~**

**Oh... M'Gawd xD it's been like FOREVER since I updated this (:**

**and I personally feel it's kinda a short chapter and honestly not one of my best... BUT THE NEXT ONE WILL BE BETTER I PROMISES! :D**

**reeeeeeeviiiiiiieeeeeeeeewwww! pwezzes :3**


End file.
